LILITPRANDUS, or LUITPRANDUS, was a deacon at Pavia in tho year 946, when Berengarius, marquis of Ivrea, and regent of the kingdom of Italy, sent him as his ambassador to Constantinople, where he learned the Ureck language. After his return he was made bishop of Cremona. Otho I., emperor and king of Italy, seut him in 962 on a mission to Pope John XII.; and in the following year Luitprand accompanied Otho to the council held at Rome, which deposed John and chose Leo VIII. in his place. On that occasion Luitprand spoke to the council in the name of the emperor, who did not understand Latin, as he says in his' Chronicle.' In 968 Otho sent him as ambas sador to Nicephorus Phocss, emperor or usurper of Constantinople, who treated him very scurvily, and kept him as a kind of prisoner. After four months' residence in that capital, Luitprand left Constanti nople in the month of October, to return to Italy. He died not long after at Cremona, but the precise year of his death is not ascertained.
He was a man of considerable learniog for his age, and his works are valuable for the historical information which they contain. They
consist—I, of a general history of Europe from the year 862 to the year 964, ' Reruns Gestarum ab Europe) Imperatoribus et Regibus, librt vi.' Luitprand gives among other things an account of the court of Constantinople at the time of his first mission, and of Basilius and his eon Leo the philosopher. The work concludes with the council of Rouse and the trial and deposition of John XII. 2, Legatio Luit praudi Cremonenais Episeopi ad Nicephoram Phocam; This is a narrative of his second embassy to Constantinople, In which he describes Phases in no very flattering colours. The work is very curious. Another work has been attributed to Luitprand, namely, 'De Pontificum Romanorum Vitis,' but his authorship of it is very doubtful. The best edition of the works of Luitpraud is that of Antwerp, 1610, 'Luitprandi Opera Om extant,' with very copious notes, by Jerome do Is Iliguera and L. Ramirez de Prado, with a dissertation at the and on tho Diptychon Toletanum.